news 2016

Researchers have identified a new mechanism controlling brain development: that neurons not only 'smell' chemicals in their environment, but also 'feel' their way through the developing brain. Considering mechanics might lead to new breakthroughs in our understanding of neuronal regeneration. Kristian Franze Scientists have found that developing nerve cells are able to 'feel' their environment as they grow, helping them form the correct connections within the brain and with other parts of the body.

An updated Cochrane Review, led by a University of Oxford researcher, provides an independent, rigorous assessment of the best available evidence to date about electronic cigarettes for quitting smoking. The conclusions of this updated Review are unchanged since the last review was published two years ago: electronic cigarettes may help smokers stop their smoking, and the included studies did not find any serious side effects associated with their use for up to two years.

Financial traders are better at reading their 'gut feelings? than the general population - and the better they are at this ability, the more successful they are as traders, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. In economics and finance most models analyse conscious reasoning and are based on psychology.

Researchers have uncovered the normal function of a protein associated with Parkinson's disease, giving clues about what happens when it malfunctions. By showing how the protein - called alpha-synuclein - works in healthy patients, the study offers important clues about what may be happening when it malfunctions and people develop the disease.

Those with a taste for adult education classes have long known it, but now Oxford University scientists have confirmed that taking part in the weekly sessions can boost wellbeing - regardless of the subject studied.

Active monitoring of prostate cancer is as effective as surgery and radiotherapy, in terms of survival at 10 years, reports the largest study of its kind. Results show that all three treatments result in similar, and very low, rates of death from prostate cancer. Surgery and radiotherapy reduce the risk of cancer progression over time compared with active monitoring, but cause more unpleasant side-effects.

Obesity is responsible for the deaths of over three million people a year worldwide due to its associated diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, a subset of obese individuals seems to be protected from such diseases. Understanding the underlying protective mechanisms in the lower risk individuals could help design novel therapeutic strategies targeting those at higher risk of disease.

Building trusting relationships between veterinary surgeons and farmers is crucial to improving animal health on dairy farms, researchers at The University of Nottingham has found. The study on perceptions and challenges of vaccinations among vets was carried out by academics in the University's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science on behalf of ADHB Dairy, a not-for-profit organisation working on behalf of Britain's dairy farmers.

We all know that social insects, such as ants, often work together to achieve effective responses to environmental challenges. However, research by the University of Bristol, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, has now uncovered that the contributions of different individuals within such groups vary.

Related Links Research Profile - Dr David Vetrie Institute of Cancer Sciences Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre Research Profile - Professor Tessa Holyoake Paul O'Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre College of Medicine, Veterinary and Life Sciences Link to paper Scientists at the University of Glasgow have made a second significant breakthrough in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia - using precision medicine to kill more than 90% of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) stem cells.

Cancer cell division of two prostate cancer cells in the final stage of cell division (cytokinesis). The cells are joined by several thin cytoplasmic bridges. Active monitoring is as effective as surgery and radiotherapy, in terms of survival at 10 years, reports the largest study of its kind, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Flock leaders who attempt to give their fellow pigeons incorrect information about their direction of travel can be overruled by the collective wisdom of the group, according to new research from the University of Oxford. Recent modelling work has predicted that the mistakes of a misinformed leader will propagate down a hierarchical decision-making system such as a pigeon flock.

Active monitoring is as effective as surgery and radiotherapy, in terms of survival at 10 years, reports the largest study of its kind, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Results published in New England Journal of Medicine today show that all three treatments result in similar, and very low, rates of death from prostate cancer.

Communication between doctors and South Asian patients is poor, according to national GP surveys, but a question has been raised about whether this reflects genuinely worse experiences or differences in responding to questionnaires. Now, a new study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge has shown that it is in fact the former - South Asian patients do experience poorer communication with their GP than the White British majority.

A new study by researchers from King's College London and Birkbeck, University of London, has found that toddlers who use touchscreens may show improved fine motor control abilities. The use of touchscreens has increased rapidly in recent years, with statistics showing that in the UK alone, the number of touchscreen devices in the family home has increased from 7 per cent in 2011 to 71 per cent in 2014.

New research carried out by scientists at the University of Bristol has shown that despite individual animals having their own personality, this gets suppressed when they make decisions together in a group. Dr Christos Ioannou and his colleagues from the School of Biological Sciences tested three-spined sticklebacks (the UK's smallest freshwater fish) alone and in groups of ten.

The size of a grain of rice, the carotid body, located between two major arteries that feed the brain with blood, has been found to control your blood pressure. A team of clinical scientists at the University of Bristol have found a new way to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

European surveillance systems in Europe can detect increases in microcephaly (babies born with an abnormally small head) due to the Zika virus of a similar magnitude to those observed in Brazil, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Wednesday 14 September 2016 The smaller increases expected in Europe, however, would be unlikely to be detected, finds the study published in The BMJ .

Bacteria living in the gut can trigger type 1 diabetes in mice, concludes a study by Yale University and Cardiff University. The new report, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, reveals that a small group of bacteria in the gut are able to directly activate killer'T cells (a type of white blood cell) to attack and destroy insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

The first results from the Gaia satellite, which is completing an unprecedented census of more than one billion stars in the Milky Way, are being released today to astronomers and the public. Gaia's first major data release is both a wonderful achievement in its own right, and a taster of the truly dramatic advances to come in future years.